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Bargaining

On the heels of the Public Interest Commission (PIC) report released on April 30, PSAC-UTE (Union of Taxation Employees) National President Marc Brière has made it clear to Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) leadership that bargaining talks must resume.

The Public Interest Commission (PIC) has released recommendations for a settlement in contract negotiations between PSAC-UTE (Union of Taxation Employees) and the Canada Revenue Agency. The Commission sides with several union proposals through the following recommendations:

Over the last two months of the COVID-19 pandemic, PSAC members have been on the frontlines battling the virus and delivering emergency financial support to millions of Canadians. They continue to provide these critical services, they do so without a new contract, and many have not seen wage increases for up to four years.

It’s time for the federal government to fix this by heading back to the bargaining table and reaching a settlement for over 140,000 public service workers.

UTE National has been receiving a lot of questions about the UTE/PSAC-CRA Public Interest Commission (PIC) report.

Therefore, we want to provide you with an update.

As previously mentioned, the report was supposed to be released at the end of March but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is certainly one of the biggest tragedies of our lifetime, every aspect of our lives, both personal and professional, has been drastically turned upside down.

PRESS RELEASE

Our bargaining team was surprised – to say the least - to see the Canada Revenue Agency’s email to all staff regarding our current negotiations two weeks ago. “This desperate attempt by CRA to mislead and influence our members on the eve of the strike vote is completely unacceptable. It is dishonest and disrespectful to our members.” stated Marc Brière, National President of the Union of Taxation Employees.

Our bargaining team was very surprised – to say the least – to see CRA’s email to all staff today regarding our current negotiations. ( read email )

After more than four years without a wage increase, the CRA has never made a wage offer to our bargaining team. Not in the Public Interest Commission (PIC) hearings, and not at the negotiation table. There has been absolutely nothing preventing them from doing so, including any outstanding demands from the union – that’s exactly what the bargaining table is for.

PSAC-UTE will begin holding strike votes beginning on February 17.

The union have been negotiating in good faith for a new collective agreement with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) since June 2018, but CRA management has consistently refused to address our members’ concerns and has instead insisted on a range of concessions.

On January 20, Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) management presented its bargaining proposals at a Public Interest Commission (PIC) hearing, reaffirming its push for regressive changes to the collective agreement and its rejection of union proposals. Moreover, the CRA once again failed to present its own wage proposal, even while rejecting the union’s proposal.